The present invention relates to a monitoring system for a bridge output stage which is connected, in series with a controllable source of current, to the terminals of a source of operating voltage.
In bridge output stages of the aforementioned type, also known as current-regulated bridge output stages, a short-circuit of the load or of an output-stage transistor cannot be readily detected. An interruption in a branch of the bridge or in the feed line to the load as well as within the load itself can also not be detected without additional measures. In particular, if such output stages are used in systems which must have a high degree of reliability, recognition of said defects is absolutely essential.